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Heil PR40

E

elchupacabras

I am frustrated with my Heil PR40 microphone. I read great reviews about it and thought it would be a great mic, and I am hoping mine is a single problem, and not a symptom of a design problem.

Everything I record with it is booming on the bass end and at the same time sibilant on the high end. There is no bright middle tone to this mic (or at least mine). I have tried it with and without the mic processor, alone with a tube pre-amp, direct to the board with flat and emphasis on the EQ, and get similar results.

I am curious if others have experienced the same with this mic? I have had mine for over a year now and frankly every recording I make with it is painful to listen to. Unfortunately, aside from a horrible Behringer B-1, it's the only thing I've got. Mics are expensive when you live overseas.
 
I can't comment on the 40, but I use a PR-30 in both my personal studio as well as at a station and I have had phenomenal results with it. In fact, when I record my Part 15 radio segments for the FTA show we've received emails about why my audio sounds so good (I connect to the host's studio via Skype).

I'm surprised you haven't gotten similar results with the PR-40. I wanted to get a 40 back when I did my purchases but I just didn't have the budget since I had to buy a few. In fact, I replaced my Shure SM-7 that I loved as I think the Heil sounds better.

The only thing I could suggest is maybe you need a external microphone processor. I use several with the 30's and it works very well.
 
Tried a tube preamp, also an external processor, although the processor itself is not great. It is an Ultra-Voice Pro. I have also tried just running it into a Peavey CEL-2 Compressor.

Perhaps it is just my voice. I have a weird one. My wife sounds great on the Heil. I had an SM-7, but I left at work a couple years ago and somebody made off with it.
 
Logical conclusion. Many people swear by or at a particular mike because that mike will emphasize certain characteristics in their voice. Don't forget room acoustics as well--a small room with hard walls may do bad things to a boomy male voice, while being very friendly to a soft female voice.
 
Thanks for your help! I think I figured out the problem. I noticed that the parametric eq for the mid frequency was set to about 300 hertz, absolutely pulling the life out of the middle. Pulling this up to around 3k on the board gave this mic new life and IT SOUNDS AWESOME! Even though the mid frequency eq was set in detente, the parametric control was sucking the life out of the microphone. I was also able to lower the brightness that I had given the mic on the high end to avoid the sibilance. I adjusted the expansion to compensate for the "hard walls" as mentioned, and it really makes a difference. I got my microphone back again! BTW- the PR40 is an awesome mic. I plugged in my Behringer B-1 for a side-by-side, and there is no comparison. The B-1 condensor is noisy and lifeless.
 
The B-1's may not work for your voice. We use them on the air in our studio and they are fantastic sounding on the air. You must use them with a noise gate if you do not have a silent room. That is true of almost all condenser mics, especially with the large diaphragm ones. They are much much more sensitive than a dynamic.
 
About a year ago I put a Heil pr40 up against the RE20's and 27's we have in our primary FM and AM control rooms. My pickiest FM DJ, who has a very good ear and very high standards, told me he could not tell the difference between the Heil PR40 and the Electrovoice RE 20 he normally uses. This was a side by side comparison into two channels of the same board with the same 528 procesing, set very mild and set so he could literally switch between words or sentences. My other jocks using either the 20's or 27's felt the same. Some liked it better than the 27. Considering the price, guess what I'm buying from now on. I have met Bob Heil at several NAB conventions and seen some of his presentations at Ham clubs. He is a one of a kind who has the experience, knowledge and dedicatin to produce a quality product and put his name on it.

Bill
 
We're using two Heil models, with the PR40 as the jock mic. The only reason we use mic processor anymore is to have some control over level. The EV20s have been retired.
 
I A/B'd a PR-40 against an RE20 last year. The only drawback to the PR-40 I noticed was that it's pick-up pattern is tighter than the RE-20. If you have a jock who moves around the mic a lot, you might notice a tonal shift if they go off-axis on the PR-40. Tonally, (and purely IMO), the PR-40 was more forward-sounding and airy than the RE-20. I also found it more accurate in the lows, which makes it useful on bassy, male voices that are being heavily compressed (a situation that usually turns an RE-20 into mud). I think Bob has a real winner with this mic. Now, if Shure would just re-release the SM-5's, I would be a happy camper...
-D
 
I have tried a lot of great microphones. RE-20, RE-27, SM7B, SHURE KSM's, and some others. My go to mike is the Heil PR40. It just sounds solid. You don't have to process it a whole lot. Leo Leporte uses a PR40 and David Letterman has it as his prop desk mike. For the price you can't beat it.
 
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